Biography

Fred Grace of Elton Mission BC was one of the less fancied competitors in the 1908 British Olympic boxing team. He had never won a major title and he was, by his own admission, woefully short of training. However, in the quarter-finals he scored an outstanding win over [Matt Wells], who later became the British and European professional champion. In the final Grace met [Fred Spiller] of Gainsford AC when, after an even first round and both boxers going down in the second round, the superior skills of Grace eventually ensured a comfortable victory. Fred Grace went on to win four ABA lightweight titles between 1909 and 1920 but as boxing was illegal in Sweden in 1912 he was denied the opportunity of defending his Olympic title when at his peak. He did made a second Olympic appearance in 1920 but they then he was 36 years old and after beating a Dutchman in his first bout he lost to the eventual winner, [Sammy Mosberg] of America. Grace retired from his business as a heating and ventilating engineer in 1949 and while out walking one day was struck by a car, receiving injuries which proved fatal.

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